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Roller Radicals get creative for fundraiser

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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Roller Radicals will auction art made by its members during a league fundraiser on Friday at New Visions Studio and Gallery in Scranton.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Roller Radicals show their competitive nature every time they race around the roller-derby track, but this weekend some of the members will share their creative sides at a special fundraiser for the league.

A Ladies Night Roller Derby Party will take place Friday night at New Visions Studio & Gallery, 201 Vine St., Scranton, featuring a tricky tray auction of art created by the roller derby players, friends and artists.

"We have a lot of artistic girls on the team, and (this is) just to kind of show how everyone on the team not only do we do roller derby, we do a bunch of other things," said league member Melissa Johnson of Wilkes-Barre. "We have a bunch of other skills, too. ... It's a good way of also getting our name out there and promoting ourselves and promoting the art gallery."

Based in Wilkes-Barre, the all-female league averages between 20 and 30 members who come from as far as Binghamton, N.Y., and Stroudsburg. They often travel out-of-state to compete and rely on fundraising and sponsorships to help cover the cost of rink rentals, travel, uniforms and related expenses above the monthly dues they already pay. Johnson said Friday's fundraiser also will go toward the league's effort to become part of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, which will allow it to become ranked.

"(The fundraiser) will really help financially for a lot of the girls who sometimes struggle with being able to afford anything," she said.

Cara Solimine, a Peckville resident who joined the Roller Radicals around a year ago, said the league members want to start doing fundraisers that are different from those they tend to do, like band nights at bars.

"We're really trying to branch out and get involved with different groups (and) different members of the community," she said.

Friday's party also will feature a 50/50 drawing, roller-derby merchandise, raffle baskets and food, and guests 21 and older can take their own beverages. Music groups Ric Spandex, To Hell With This and Those Clever Foxes also are set to perform.

"I'm looking forward to hearing the bands," Solimine said. "I always love hearing new music and hearing new musicians. I'm also just really excited to see this art studio - I haven't been there yet - and getting out there and meeting new people. And hopefully exposing some more people to roller derby."

A lawyer by day, Solimine is one of several league members creating artwork to include in the tricky-tray auction. Pieces range from paintings to multimedia created from derby memorabilia.

"I think you'll find that roller derby girls are some of the most passionate people you'll ever meet," Solimine said. "Same for performing and visual artists. Nobody pays us to donate our time to these things. We do it because we love it."

West Chester-based artist Jessica Webb, who has friends in the league and previously lived in the area, is providing a painting of a roller-derby figure she created for the auction.

"I think they do a lot of great stuff for the community," she said of the league. "They're involved, and they raise money, and it gives people something to do. I can't not stand behind them. I think it's a great thing."

Decades ago, people thought of roller derby just as girls on skates, Solimine said, but these days the activity is about so much more. The Roller Radicals are a family, she added, one devoted not only to athletics and staying in shape but also to helping the community.

"It's empowering in a way nothing else I've done has been," Solimine said. "It makes me feel like I'm part of something bigger than myself, and that's always been important to me in every aspect of my life."

QUICK INFO

What: Ladies Night Roller Derby Party, featuring performances by Ric Spandex, To Hell With This and Those Clever Foxes

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